Action RPG's do not belong on the iPhone/iPod touch. Call me jaded, but all RPG's are now just a blur; nothing stands out, nothing is worth buying. I still love the RPG genre, even though almost every "RPG" on the market is action oriented. People, the iPhone is not a Playstation Portable, and it's not a Nintendo DS. It's a new handheld with it's own genre(s) that define it, and action RPG's are definitely NOT worth playing on the iPhone as they are today. Pounding on a flat surface to try to get something accomplished gets real old, real quick. So developers, please, for the love of god, try something new! Sword & Poker and Galactic Keep are games that are paving the way for new ways to think about our beloved little handheld gaming device and the RPG genre specifically. Follow their example if you're going to follow anyones. Make something new happen with the RPG genre instead of rehashing the same old "push X until Y dies" like a lot of developers have. Look, If your going to copy something, start with something good and make it better. Not something broken and making it even more convoluted and annoying. Personally, I think there would be money to be made in a solid Turn Based RPG with an engaging story line. I can't be the only one that feels this way? Also, I realize to developers it's all about business. If you follow a model that works, then there is no reason to change it. I'm just asking developers to look at the genre differently instead of making an action RPG out of everything, try to look at it with a different mechanic more natural to the iPhone/iPod touch.
Across Age is the exact example of what I'm griping against. It's you running up against enemy Y until they die. Or tap the button on screen to shoot spells until enemy U is dead. Ugh, that's not fun, even if the story is like the next coming of Christ, you would have to dredge through awfully boring (looking anway) game play, just to get through it. Caligo Chaser looks fantastic, but that's about all I can find. I love grading systems in games, but again, it's hit what's supposed to be a button on a flat surface until Y dies. However, if someone would take an action RPG and instead of trying to make a button on a flat surface, why not create a gesture recognition, like swiping the screen to slash with a sword, drawing designs to cast spells, etc. etc. If you're looking for inspiration with those, look at games like Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword on the Nintendo DS, or Lost Magic, also for the DS. Again, the iPhone/iPod touch is not the DS, or the PSP, so do something unique to the system that we love!
well if u dont like touch screen for ARPG then ohwell, moar forum spam, google PSP Forumz and goodluck edit: Try Samurai if u want swipe, its 'ok' but swiping isnt THAT special IMO, kind of excessive movement but its OK (can be kind of fun too)
There's also Steam Pirates, as well as ports of FF 1 and 2. Anyway, I'm with you until you, Bahss, until you start talking what the iPlatform was or was not "made for" -- I hate it when people try to turn their personal preferences into some kind of platform "rule." The fact is that action RPG's have been succesful in the App Store because they work well for many people. The ability to target directly on the screen makes for a more direct experience on, say, Inotia 2, than in many action RPG's in other platforms. (The same capability would also help make turn based combat more exciting as well, IMHO). I agree 100% that Turn Based RPG is a neglected genre on the platform. But it's not an either/or issue.
When you talk about movement recognition, all i can think about is The World Ends With You. If you don't know what that game is, all the movement on the bottom screen was done using a stylus. Click and drag for moving. Swiping for slashes. Tapping for shooting. That game got it perfect. The closest to that so far is Hybrid in my opinion, but that still relies on a virtual d-pad.
Sorry to see you didn't get a better response, Bahss. I agree that turn based RPGs are a natural fit for the iPhone... not only because of the touch screen, but because of the nature of gaming on the go. It's easier to play a turn based game with distractions in the world around you, whether that being the people in line at the bank, watching football on the couch, or sitting in a meeting. You can play without missing out on Real Life (TM) My next several games are addressing the lack of turn based games- first one will be a rogue-like designed specifically for the iPhone (and iPod and iPad, complete with a storyline), next will be a turn based strategy game with a different feel from anything that's been seen in the app store so far. I won't be making official announcements or an upcoming thread here until we are within 30 days of launching, but I can at least offer the comfort of knowing that good things are coming. In the meantime you can check out this sneak peak from a tweet I sent out recently about the first of the two games
YES, this is awesome. instabuy. Also, for the thread I kinda agree. Play fargoal its pretty awesome (but idk if its what you like or not). As for RPG, is Yipe 5 good, because i too am not too fond of RPG's on the app store, but this game seems interesting enough.
You are not the only one - I prefer turnbased RPGs on the iPhone/iPod Touch too. I think it suits the nature of the devices better. You play for shorter periods and not in front off a monitor with a keyboard and a mouse.
Yep turn based strategy (multiplayer of course) is another great area for the iPhone! My second new game will definitely handle that genre well. Sorry I don't have much to show of that one yet, only a small amount of sprites are done, the main focus here is on the current RPG/rogue-like game to get it ready for the spring
Yes, I am also fed up with action-based RPGs, absolutely... still unfinished on my iPhone are: Inotia 2, Seed, Hybrid... Yes, the lack of good turn-based RPGs is visible... But right now there are just games like Across Ages and Caligo Chaser, Zenonia 2 and other stuff to be released in the next time... and even if they are good - I won't play them. No way. No offense intended - but maybe the devs start to learn when they don't sell enough copies. There are too much of them right now. Well, I am desperately waiting for Final Fantasy I & II to come. And Steam Pirates. I don't know which TB games are also coming in the near future, but the gap between real-time and turn-based games is quite huge. I played The Quest and their add-ons, Undercroft and many more... now I've emptied the AppStore... @ Data: Well, I loved your RogueTouch, so I will give your new TB games definately a try! Oh yes, and 100 Rogues is approaching, also.
Exactly. There is so much more that could be done with the RPG genre on a portable platform. People would play in 5-30 min periods instead of hours and hours in one location when they have a solid TB RPG on a mobile platform. Just think about that. Think about spending even 10 hours of game cut into 5-30 min. periods. That's a lot of game time, from the players stand point. And that, in the end, is what a happy customer recieves, their monies worth. Also, I love my DS but the fact still remains it's a seperate bulky device. I don't own a PSP, but I know people enjoy it but again, it's a seperate device. The iPhone/iPod touch plaform is the best of both worlds! And as far as community goes, where else is it this easy to communicate with developers. You can't say that Nintendo or Sony worry too much about what disgruntled customers have to say. But even in this thread, a developers taking note and taking risks! It's the little indie device that could!
There's already a landmark-quality turn-based RPG, but not available for English. It's a direct port of the PC version. ARPGs seem to be shallow in general. People's standards have dropped apparently. There won't be an epic RPG for the iPhone for a while I think. The last two were Zenonia and Inotia 2, but the excitement from those two didn't last too long.
Yes, not until FF I & II and Steam Pirates, maybe... Which game is that you're talking about? Do you have a link?
I'm really looking forward to the FF and Steam Pirates games, but right now I'm getting my fill from MUDMaster. Really old-school RPGs, but just it being online makes MUDing really fun in my opinion. If you have any desire for portable MUDing, check it out. Best iPod client.
